Angel in Flight
It was fun Texas, but our family is spent. We were able to get to bed at around 1:15 Saturday morning. It was tiring to be away from home, but thankfully Maddie took traveling like a champ. However, flying with a little one that is an Angel, is not an easy task.
First off, there’s the regular toddler stuff that we needed to pack. So we needed to travel with a car seat, stroller, diapers, wipes, and a couple of toys to keep Maddie occupied. Then there’s the extra stuff that Maddie needed for her day to day. Two of the biggest things that we needed to bring along was Maddie’s antiseizure medication and her pediasure to keep her weight consistent.
Purposely, we brought only a limited supply of pediasure. However, the pediasure and medication held us up at security. Since the pediasure was sealed, I had to undertake a more intense search. Now I know what you’re thinking, they did not have to strip search me. Okay, kidding aside, they did have to swab each piece of my personal effects. This included my belt, both shoes, hat, sunglasses, hands, passport, and wallet. I did get nervous when the TSA agent called over a fellow coworker. This coworker brought me out of the line and back through security. They had me go inside the machine that twirls around. Sorry, I have no idea what this machine is called but if you’ve flown before, you know what I mean.
The toughest part of our travels was waiting to board the flight. How do you keep a 2 year old occupied for three hours? This portion was actually one of the coolest things for me to witness. I knew Maddie was a social butterfly, but I never knew how much she hammed it up for the people around her. While Maddie was in her stroller she would watch people. As you probably know, there’s no shortage of people walking around. I took a long look at Maddie. She would lock into a person walking towards her. If the person did not look at Maddie, she would follow them with her eyes as they walked past but then look for her next victim. As soon as someone would lock eyes with Maddie, she would flash the biggest smile. Time and time again, she would get a stranger to smile back, or to comment on how happy Maddie was. What a little ham!
Boarding the flight was actually a smoother process than I thought it would be. Thankfully Delta allows families with children to board early. This allowed us to get the car seat strapped in and Maddie ready for the flight.
Nobody likes a screaming child on a flight. This was my biggest fear when we booked the flight to Austin. I was worried that with the pressure changes and sudden movements, the flight would be a marathon. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Maddie loved the take off and landing. She thought it was hilarious when the plane would drop a bit. Also, Delta has personal televisions on their flights. Maddie loved watching Finding Nemo without sound. I suppose that’s the magic of Pixar.
As you’re reading this, hopefully we’ve completed the final leg of our journey home. I do want to touch on the conference briefly. I truly wish we could bottle up the feeling and the magic of the Angelman Syndrome Family Conference. Meeting so many families and Angels from around the country and even from outside of the US, was such a joy. Hopefully next week I’ll be able to unpack my feelings and properly convey how much the conference meant to us.
-Written by Adam Birchmeier
